What are Zscaler error codes?
Zscaler error codes are numbered error messages that the Zscaler service shows when an operation fails, most often during authentication. The official documentation groups them into four families: generic codes such as 211000 and 421000, AD/LDAP codes from 100 to 116, Kerberos codes from 391000 to 510000, and the hexadecimal Identity Proxy codes from 0x1388 to 0x13D2. Each code stands for a documented cause with a recommended action. Error codes are a normal part of daily operations on any enterprise platform; once you recognise the family, you usually already know which system the cause sits in.
Zscaler error codes in detail
The families keep responsibilities cleanly separated. The AD/LDAP series 100 to 116 covers sign-in against the directory: wrong passwords (101, 110), users not found or deleted (103, 113, 116), synchronisation in progress (109, 115), or connection problems to the directory server. The Kerberos series reports, among other things, missing tickets (471000), unregistered domains (451000) and timing problems (491000, 501000), because Kerberos is sensitive to clocks that are out of sync.
The 0x13 series belongs to the Identity Proxy, meaning SAML sign-in to cloud applications: outdated SAML requests, users not found, disabled apps, or transient cloud states. Important for reading these: the code alone is rarely enough. Only with context such as location, forwarding path and timing does it turn into a finding. That combination is exactly what separates a five-minute answer from an escalation that drags on for days.
Why Zscaler error codes matter in Zscaler operations
For the helpdesk, error codes are a gift, once you know how to read them: they name the cause more precisely than any user description ever could. How to check a user's authentication, the matching policy and device state in one view is shown in our video on the support cockpit. A 101 is a password problem, not a network outage; a 471000 is a Kerberos configuration issue, not a case for restarting a router. Anyone who knows the families routes tickets straight to the right place instead of working through guesses. How authentication loops and tunnel errors get filtered automatically out of a log bundle is shown in our video on log analysis.
On top of that, there is a language gap: the official error code documentation only exists in English and Japanese. German-speaking teams therefore have to translate the message first during an incident, then the recommended action. An internal runbook that explains the most common codes for your own setup in the team's own language saves exactly that time, and this overview is the starting point for one.
Common sources of error
- Ignoring the code and guessing at the symptom: without the code on record, diagnosis starts from zero, even though the cause is documented.
- Overlooking timing problems: Kerberos codes such as 491000 often come from device clocks with no NTP sync, a classic after a holiday or a battery swap.
- Escalating transient 0x13 codes immediately: many Identity Proxy codes recommend trying again after a short wait first.
- Escalating without evidence: a ticket with no code, timestamp or affected user forces the next level to ask for everything all over again.
Error codes in practice: what CentaurNexus contributes
CentaurNexus shortens the path from code to finding. 360-degree user search shows the affected user's status across ZIA, ZPA and ZDX on one page, with no Zscaler admin rights: has authentication gone through, is the right policy applying, is the device acting up? Connectivity Triage Map places the cause in plain language, and Log Analyzer evaluates exported client logs sorted by severity, surfacing authentication loops and tunnel errors. That keeps the standard case at 1st Level, and escalation happens with a finding instead of a guess. The guide below shows the diagnostic flow: Is it Zscaler or the Wi-Fi?.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions about Zscaler error codes
Zscaler documents the authentication error codes in the Help Portal under Internet & SaaS Authentication Error Codes, with a description, cause and recommended action for each code. The documentation is available in English and Japanese. This glossary page maps out the code families and links to the original source.
471000 is a Kerberos error: the authorization header contains no Kerberos ticket. Zscaler documents several causes for this, including an incorrect PAC file with no Kerberos configuration, missing group policies on the machine, missing AES encryption, a faulty realm trust on the domain controller, or no connection to the domain controller.
These codes relate to signing in against Active Directory or LDAP. Typical examples: 101 and 110 stand for wrong passwords on the user account or the bind account respectively, 103, 113 and 116 for users not found or deleted, and 109 and 115 for synchronisation in progress or changed configuration. The recommended action depends on the specific code; a user sync often helps.
The hexadecimal codes from 0x1388 to 0x13D2 belong to the Identity Proxy, meaning SAML sign-in to cloud applications through Zscaler. Among other things, they report outdated or invalid SAML requests, users not found, disabled cloud apps, or temporary cloud issues. According to the documentation, many of these are transient: try again first, and escalate only if it happens again.
Four things cost only minutes: note down the code with its accompanying text, or capture it as a screenshot, reproduce the case, check the device's system time, since Kerberos codes such as 491000 are often down to clocks that are out of sync, and test with a second browser or a second device. That way, if escalation is still needed, it is informative from the start.
- Zscaler Help Portal: Internet & SaaS Authentication Error Codes - help.zscaler.com
- Zscaler Help Portal: Troubleshooting Kerberos Authentication - help.zscaler.com
Note: CentaurNexus is an independent product of SourcingBlox GmbH and not an offering of Zscaler, Inc. Product and brand names belong to their respective owners.